Green manure crops for low fertility soils

Organic crop production is growing, but crop yields are still below potential. The purpose of our project “Nutrients for higher organic yields (NutHY)” is to increase yields and resource efficiency in organic crop production by optimizing nutrient supply. Growing green manure is an important tool to improve fertilization by biological nitrogen (N) fixation but also by mobilization and release of other nutrients such as phosphorus (P). However, development and performance of green manure are affected by low soil nutrient availability that is often reported as a problem in organic arable farms, especially with regard to P. Poster at DOK-Monte Veritá Conference, 6-11 October, 2019, Congressi Stefano Fanscini, Monte Veritá, Switzerlan

The Choice of Ideology and Everyday Decisions

Individuals strive to make decisions that are consistent with not only their consumer preferences but also their psychological needs. However, they are confronted with complex, ambiguous or even false information. Ideologies and belief systems provide guidance when processing and evaluating information and give a coherent and comprehensible interpretation of reality. The first question is: why is an individual attracted to a particular ideology? Individuals choose ideologies that resonate with their subjective psychological needs and preferences. Second, how do individuals search for ideologies and find out which suit them best? We model an individual’s sequential information search for the best matching ideologies by applying Bayesian learning and utility optimization. Additional information enhances utility by reducing uncertainty. As a search is costly, the process may stop once an individual adopts an ideology even if the information set remains incomplete. Third, once they have chosen a particular ideology, individuals adhere to its rules and norms when making everyday decisions. Consumers not only physically consume, but they also act in accordance with their psychological needs

A nitrogén monoxid szerepe az akut veseelégtelenségben és a krónikus allograft nephropathiában: Genetikai és nemi különbségek. = The role of nitric oxide in acute renal failure and in chronic allograft nephropathy: Genetic and gender differences

1. L-arginin kezelés nemtől függő módon hat súlyos renális IR-s károsodásra. L-arginin hatására a renális eNOS expresszió változik nőstény állatokban, és ez hozzájárulhat az enyhébb szöveti károsodás kialakuláshoz. 2. A NKA 1 alegységek mRNS expressziója mindkét nemben csökken IR-t követően. A fehérje mennyisége és az enzim aktivitása azonban stabil marad nőstényekben. Nőstényekben fiziológiás körülmények között és IR után is nagyobb mennyiségű HSP72 expresszálódik mint hímekben. A HSP72 és NKA α1 alegység kolokalizálódik a proximális tubulus sejtek basolaterális membránján. 3. A krónikus vesebetegség progressziója során észlelt szövettani elváltozásokkal és vesefunkciós értékek emelkedésével fordítottan arányos módon változik a NOS aktivitás és nNOS fehérje expresszió a vesében. 4. A női nem rizikót jelent az akut rejekció kialakulására és az akcelerált krónikus rejekcióra. Nőstény állatokban csak magasabb dózisú CsA és/vagy RAPA kezeléssel védhető ki a kezdeti immunreakció. 5. Rövidtávú endotél protektív kezelés nem védi az „optimális” graftot isotranszplantáció esetén az enyhe-közepes hosszú távú károsodások ellen. 6. Az eNOS G894T polimorfizmusa nem játszik szerepet a graftok hosszú távú túlélésében. A HSPA1B 1267GG variáns, amely csökkent mRNS expresszióval és megváltozott stressz faktorok elleni védelemmel jár együtt a Tx és AR csoportban csökkent citoprotekciót okozhat és hozzájárulhat a graft gyorsabb elvesztéséhez. | 1. L-arginin pretreatment has a gender independent effect on renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury. L-arginin pretreatment increases renal cortical eNOS expression in females and it may protect the kidney against structural damages. 2. Expression of NKA 1 mRNA subunit is decreased after renal IR injury in both genders. Protein expression and enzyme activity remained stable in females. In females HSP72 expression is higher in the kidney as compared to males already at baseline and also after renal IR. HSP72 and NKA 1 subunit are colocalyzed in the basolateral membrane of proximal tubular cells. 3. Renal NOS activity and nNOS protein expression changed inversely with structural damage and renal function parameters in chronic renal failure. 4. Female gender is a risk factor for acute renal graft rejection and for accelerated chronic rejection. In females only higher dose of CsA and/or RAPA is able to inhibit acute rejection. 5. Short-term endothelium protective therapy did not prevent the moderate chronic injury, oxidative stress and falls in function seen when optimal kidneys are grafted into syngeneic recipients. 6. eNOS G894T polymorphism plays no role in long-term allograft survival. HSPA1B 1267GG polymorphism due to decreased mRNA expression of HSP72 and altered protective function against stress factors may cause decreased cytoprotection and shorter graft survival

The regulation and catalytic mechanism of the NADP-malic enzyme from tobacco leaves

The non-photosynthetic NADP-malic enzyme EC 1.1.1.40 (NADP-ME), which catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of L-malate and NADP+ to produce pyruvate and NADPH, respectively, and which could be involved in plant defense responses, was isolated from Nicotiana tabacum L. leaves. The mechanism of the enzyme reaction was studied by the initial rate method and was found to be an ordered sequential one. Regulation possibilities of purified cytosolic NADP-ME by cell metabolites were tested. Intermediates of the citric acid cycle (a-ketoglutarate, succinate, fumarate), metabolites of glycolysis (pyruvate, phosphoenolpyruvate, glucose-6-phosphate), compounds connected with lipogenesis (coenzyme A, acetyl-CoA, palmitoyl-CoA) and some amino acids (glutamate, glutamine, aspartate) did not significantly affect the NADP-ME activity from tobacco leaves. In contrast, macroergic compounds (GTP, ATP and ADP) were strong inhibitors of NADP-ME; the type of inhibition and the inhibition constants were determined in the presence of the most effective cofactors (Mn2+ or Mg2+), required by NADP-ME. Predominantly non-competitive type of inhibitions of NADP-ME with respect to NADP+ and mixed type to L-malate were found

Male gender predisposes to development of endotoxic shock in the rat

Objective: After intravenous (i.v.) injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) macrophages release nitric oxide (NO) due to the expression of the inducible NO synthase (iNOS). After LPS NO is abundantly produced also in the cardiovascular system and may contribute to the development of hypotension and shock. Since the immune response, the synthesis of NO and the regulation of blood pressure (BP) differ between males and females, in the present study the effect of LPS on BP, renal function, the plasma and urinary concentration of the metabolites of NO as well as the splenic and aortic expression of the iNOS gene were compared between male and female rats. Methods: BP and renal function were measured in anesthetized rats following the i.v. injection of LPS (E. coli, 4 mg/kg). The NOx and NOx (metabolites of NO=NOx) concentration was measured by the Griess reaction. The iNOS gene expression was studied by RT-PCR. Results: Four hours after LPS, BP of males (n=9) was reduced by 63+/-12 mmHg versus 10+/-4 in females (n=7, P<0.005). Aminoguanidine, a selective inhibitor of iNOS, prevented the reduction of BP in males. The plasma concentration of NOx (P-NOx, mu M) was lower in hypotensive males (128+/-20) than in normotensive females (235+/-29, P<0.005). Males also exhibited lower urinary NO, excretion (UNOxV) after LPS (P<0.001 vs, females). Prior castration of males provided protection against hypotension (fall of BP: -4+/-4 mmHg, n=6, P<0.02 versus males) and resulted in higher P-NOx as well as UNOxV (both P<0.001 versus males and not different from females). Prior ovariectomy (n=5) had no influence on the hemodynamic and NOx response to LPS. Male rats displayed enhanced aortic iNOS/beta-actin ratio relative to females after LPS (n=3 in each group, P<0.05). Conclusions: (1) Male gender may sensitize to LPS-induced shock and (2) sensitivity of males to endotoxin is associated with an attenuated, not exaggerated total rate of NO synthesis

Ecological analysis of molluscs in the Bavarian Forest National Park

As part of the BIOKLIM Project, data was obtained for various groups of animals and plants, as well as for environmental factors. The following analysis concerns only the molluscs (Gastropoda, Bivalvia). Altitude, stand age, magnesium and pH values of soil were identified as main influencing variables for abundance of individuals, using quasi-Poisson models. The parameter “number of plant species” (VegRich) and management type also affect the species number. Individual species are influenced by very different factors, resulting partly from their highly specialized habitat requirements, so that their abundance can not always be described directly in terms of the measured and collated influencing variables. The mollusc-assemblages are determined most of all by altitude above sea level, temperature and light conditions (openness of canopy), as demonstrated using several different methods of statistical analysis.Im Rahmen des BIOKLIM-Projekts wurden im Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald Daten zu verschiedenen Tier- und Pflanzenarten sowie Umweltfaktoren erhoben. Die folgende Auswertung beschränkt sich auf die Weichtiere (Gastropoda, Bivalvia). Ziel war es, herauszufinden, welche Umweltfaktoren die Arten- und Individuenanzahlen beeinflussen, was die Lebensgemeinschaften steuert und welche Parameter sich auf ausgewählte Einzelarten auswirken. In Quasi-Poisson-Modellen haben sich als Einflussgrößen für die Individuenanzahl Höhe, Alter, Magnesium und pH-Wert feststellen lassen. Auf die Artenanzahl wirkte sich der Vegetationsreichtum, die Höhe und der Managementtyp aus. Die Einzelarten werden von sehr unterschiedlichen Faktoren beeinflusst. Die Lebensgemeinschaften werden vor allem von der Höhe über dem Meeresspiegel, der Temperatur und dem Auflichtungsgrad bestimmt, was sich in verschiedenen Ordinationsverfahren gezeigt hat